


Jungle Man

by itsaconquestofimagination



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Africa, Alternate Universe - Jungle, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Tarzan Fusion, Exploration, F/M, Inspired by Disney, Inspired by Tarzan, Modern Era, Reader-Insert, Wilderness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-28 23:39:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8467528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsaconquestofimagination/pseuds/itsaconquestofimagination
Summary: (Y/N) is the daughter of an explorer who has taken it upon himself to explore the jungles of the African Congo. Deciding she can’t miss out on the adventure, (Y/N) goes with her father on his journey, spending months in the deep jungles simply exploring and expierencing the wild and gorgeous terrain. One day however, she comes across something she wasn’t expecting to find deep in the jungle.





	1. Chapter 1

Stretching your limbs, you smiled as the sun shined down on you with your arms raised to the sky and eyes closed. Savoring little feelings like this was one of the best parts about being out in nature for you. Especially in a space of nature this untouched and untainted by society. The clean and light air. The unaltered sounds of animals of all kinds, everything from the chirping of a small bird to the loud stomps and echoing of elephants. The refreshing smell of all kinds of fragrant flowers. It was own sort of paradise, a green lush paradise.

“Ah (Y/N)! You’re up.”

Turning to see your father trying to decifer a map with a pen tapping against his mouth you smiled.

“Morning dad.”

“What are your plans for the day darling? I was thinking we could go down towards the Congo itself later today, maybe observe some of the hippos. Fascinating creatures. Amazingly lethal as well.”

“Mmmm, as tempting as that sounds I was thinking today would be more of a relaxing day for myself. Some me time, instead of trekking through the jungle.”

Looking up from his map your father raised his brows from behind his large frame glasses.

“Oh?”

“I was going to read a little, maybe in one the trees nearby. They have such lovely views of the scenery.”

Your father set down his map as he started waving his hand at you, his elbow resting on his knee with his palm open.

“(Y/N) we talked about you going off by yourself. You don’t know what you could run into out there. There’s all sorts of predators you can’t fight off. If you ran into any of the local tribes you don’t understand all of their native tongues, if it’s a poacher they won-”

Rolling your eyes you spoke up.

“Dad! My God I’m just reading. I’m not going to go 20 miles away. Gees.”

Sighing he ran a hand down his face as you held your book in one hand, crossing your arms waiting for his response.

“(Y/N)…you know I’m just worried about your safety.”

Nodding with your eyelids half closed you sighed.

“Yeah, yeah I know. The wild Congo isn’t the same as (Y/H/T). It’s quite obvious. I can handle myself…and I’m only going about 5 miles away from camp, possibly not even that far. I promise.”

He looked to you with an arched brow, “Promise?”

Putting your pinky forward for him you smiled. Not being able to say no, he reached forward and wrapped his pinky around yours.

“I promise.”

He sighed as he released his pinky from yours, reaching into a toolbox next to him. After a bit of shuffling he finally pulled out a small flare gun, one that appeared a lot like a small pistol. Reaching forward he handed it to you.

“Just in case anything happens.”

With a nod you took it from his hand and carefully slid it into the belt around the waist of your olive green dress. It wasn’t completely practical for the jungle, but it was your favorite. It wasn’t completely impractical, it didn’t have a corset, or anything that prevented you from moving. It was more of a stylish sun dress that you insisted was necessary to take along with you.

“I’ll see you later dad.”

“Keep an eye out (Y/N)!”

You waved behind you as you started walking into the expanse of tall, lush green trees.

* * *

 

After a good 10 minutes of walking you finally found a perfectly gorgeous view to read in front of. A tree perched perfectly on a cliff side overlooking the vast miles of scenery that this beautiful place had to offer. Taking a deep breath in you sat yourself down.

“Wow.”

Smiling contently as your eyes scanned the miles of tree tops and a certainly majestic waterfall flowing down into a large pool at the bottom. Putting your knees in front of yourself you snuggled your back comfortably against the tree, releasing a sigh as you finally felt comfortable in the soft grass. Gently you opened your book, your eyes focusing on the page as you heard a chorus of small birds chirping somewhere nearby. This was most definitely a perfect way to spend your time alone, to relax for once on this adventure.

* * *

 

As an hour passed you found yourself engrossed in the story. The plot of this story was fascinating, and constantly changing with each passing chapter. The characters, such complicated people, almost as shifting as the plot itself. They seemed to compliment one another. It had been a long time since you had read anything so worthy of praise in a while, not to mention read in such a peaceful and goregous place.

Suddenly as you went to turn to the next page, a rustle of leaves came from your right. Darting your eyes to the side, you narrowed your eyes into the collection of plants, trying to see if there was something approaching you. If it was a predator you had to identify it quickly, your escape would only happen successfully if you had time to react. Hearing another rustle you placed the book down. Slowly standing you kept your eyes narrowed, still not seeing any defined features of anything other than plants. Though you remembered your flare gun, you weren’t ready to fire it. This could potentially be a herbavore. Luckily with your time on this journey with your father your skiddish reactions to the natural noises of the jungle ceased after a few months, finally becoming accustomed to them. As you backed yourself into the tree you had just been sitting against you looked over to the same spot again. There was no breeze, there had to be something back there.

Trying your luck you decided to make the first animal noise you could think of. Pursing out your lips just slightly you made a soft bird call, hoping it would incite some reaction. As your whistling ceased, there was nothing. Other birds in the distance responded, but nothing nearly close to you was stirring. Peering just over the brush your eyes suddenly caught something. Narrowing your gaze further you focused on the seemingly odd and out of place, dark brown locks. They were just barely appearing from behind the large leaves you had heard the rustling from, as if placed on top of them. Whatever it was, it must have been quite tall to have fur appear that high up.

“H-hello?”

Nothing but the same birds chirping.

“I..I know you’re there…whatever you are.”

No rustling, but you noticed faintly that the locks of dark brown had moved just slightly. Clearing your throat you walked forward cautiously.

“…C-come out.”

Almost regretting you said that you shook your head to yourself. If this was an animal it was obviously not going to respond to you. Suddenly the large leaves rustled again, this time the motion of them far more obvious. As your heart rate started rising you watched the rustling motions like a hawk. With one of the larger leaves being brushed out of the way you were surprised with what you saw next.

A man?

There weren’t tribes or locals for miles. This land was also far from the reserve where hunting was permitted. That’s why your father had chosen this spot originally, to truly connect with the nature here. To get as far away from people as possible. His dark hair was disheveled, but a sort of wavy curl and shine to it. His facial hair was not as shiny in appearance, obviously a bit neglected but cut at least somewhat neatly. His eyes were intense and a sort of deep brown, his plump pink lips just barely parted under his angular nose and settled onto his strong jaw. From where he was standing you could only see half of his upper body, as the rest was hiding behind the brush. What was able to be seen however was well defined muscles under his pale skin, and obviously displayed his potential strength. The lines around his pecks signifying his upper body strength. He was quite handsome, not in a ‘traditional’ sort of sense. Something about his features all together made him uniquely beauitful to look at.

“O-oh. H-hello?”

He didn’t respond, instead he just stared at you intently, his eyes scanning your body from head to toe, as if assessing your appearance. Tilting his head just slightly he watched you adjust your dress to look proper. His face and torso appeared sweaty, wet, and just barey glistening with little drops. He must have just been bathing somewhere nearby.

“Umm you…you can come out.“

He arched a brow at you as you stared back at him. Figuring he likely didn’t speak your language you gestured with one of your hands for him to come out.

“Come on.“

Raising both of his brows he walked out slowly from behind the brush. Gulping you watched his every step as he came clearer into sight. Trying to stand your ground you forced your feet still from their nervous fidgeting. Finally emerging from the brush you saw him fully, now only about 5 feet away from you. Focusing on his eyes he made his way closer to you.

“Umm w-what are you doing?“

Trying to look him over you jumped internally at the sight, instantly pulling your gaze back to his face. He was entirely nude.

“Oh gaud you’re not wearing pants. Why aren’t you wearing pants?“

Ignoring your inquiry he kept approaching until he was standing less than a foot away from you, his eyes solely focused on you as he towered over you.

“Th-this is rather close isn’t it?"

Rather than responding he carefully reached forward, taking a strand of your (Y/H/C) in between his fingers. You stood as still as you could manage, trying to maintain calm. Observing his arm above your head you realized how muscular they were, his hands were rather large as well, with broad knuckles. The broad and stretched structure looked as if he used them often. Leaning his head down slightly you kept your body still, as you heard a sniffling like noise from him. With that he dropped your hair slowly and started sniffing the top of your head much like a dog.

"If I may…ask what-what are you looking for?"

He continued sniffing, moving his nose to your upper body while he bent his knees slightly. Being sure to sniff every expanse of your figure from your neck to your waist. Lifting your arms out of his way you saw him move his sniffing lower.

"Do you think I have food or something? What on Earth are you doing?"

His nose kept trailing as he went from sniffing your abdomen to suddenly brushing his nose right against your crotch, his brown eyes growing wide. Instinctively you slapped him upside the head, furrowing your brows with a gasp as he jumped back from you startled.

"Excuse you!! Your nose should be nowhere near there!"

Now from his crouched position he watched you curiously, his elbows resting on his knees. You looked him over again quickly, taking note of his physique and lack of proper shaving, let alone washing. He wasn’t filthy, nor covered in dirt but he was obviously using only water to cleanse himself with just how dirty his nails appeared. He moved to stand again, his large frame blocking the view of brush in front of you. His eyes scanned you again.

"You know this staring and sniffing isn’t really a proper way to introduce yourself."

Ignoring you again, he just barely moved forward as he took your hand. Assuming, for some reason, he was going to shake it you were surprised when he simply held your wrist, observing your hand like it was a new discovery. Gently turning your wrist, he very intently looked at all the details of your hands from the folds in the skin over your knuckles to the visible lines through your palm. Letting go of your wrist he left your hand in the air, your palm facing him as he slowly raised his palm to yours. As your hands gently made contact, you watched as he moved his fingers and palm to perfectly align with your hand. In comparisson his hand was much larger than yours, his skin rougher than your polished palm. Watching his furrowed brows raise he turned his head so he could observe your hands together, as if memorizing exactly what this looked like for his own record. Removing his hand carefully from yours you just stared back at him, curious as to what exactly he was trying to do. He obviously had hands, why were yours so fascinating?

Looking you over again he slowly stepped closer to you, causing you to take steps back.

“Now what?”

Stepping back from him until your back hit a tree you gripped your hands behind you onto the tree. Still slowly approaching you, the man stood not even a foot from you as he slowly craned his head down. Turning his head to the side he gently placed his ear to your chest, in between your breasts. He obviously wasn’t one to understand personal space. Observing his fluffy head of hair you waited for some kind of movement, but he remained still. He listened for your heartbeat, practically entranced by the thumping sound your heart made, echoing through your chest.

“S-sir?”

Standing straight again he looked down at you curiously, abruptly grabbing your face gently. Before you could properly react he put your ear to his bare chest much like his had been on yours.

“Oh, ok, why am I…”

He remained silent as he gently craddled your head against his chest. Though it was highly odd how he was behaving and it made you anxious as to what his intentions truly were, you felt yourself falling into a calm state. His chest was incredibly warm, the feeling alone of being against him somehow made you feel safe. The hold he had around you felt comforting in a strange way, as if he was protecting you. Hearing the thump of his heart against his chest you decided to speak.

“Ah yes, a heartbeat. Very nice.”

Pulling away he looked you over again. Pointing to himself he made a grunting sound, causing you to raise a brow. He then repeated the sound as he pointed to you. Trying to understand what he was attempting to communicate with you, you followed his motions with one of your fingers.

"Me…you."

He watched you as your hand moved again, "You…me."

"Me?"

Although it came out more like a grunt, his deep voice surprised you. Smiling you nodded.

“Yes, you.”

“Mm-mm, me.”

“You.”

“Me.”

“Yes.”

He stared at you confused. Was he trying to start proper introductions? Obviously there was something more to his strange communication than simply speaking another language. Clearing your throat you decided to try something else.

“My name is (Y/N).”

Tilting his head, it was as if you could see the gears in his mind turning as he processed the sound of your name. Hesitating to speak, he stopped himself mid mouth movement. Earnestly smiling at him you waited for him to try again. Slowly he tried repeating the sounds to you as best as he could. He looked up to you for approval. Nodding you repeated yourself.

“(Y/N).”

He nodded, concentrating on trying to remember the sound.

“What’s your name?”

He looked at you confused again. You pointed to yourself with a smile.

"I, am (Y/N). YOU are..?”

Looking down for a moment he observed his hand for some reason, then returned his warm gaze back to you. Once again making some kind of grunting sound you could just barely make out the syllables he was attempting.

“Come again?”

He grunted again, the same syllables hitting your ears. Finally thinking you had it you smiled as you pointed to him with raised brows.

“Ben?”

His brows furrowed at you, almost as if he didn’t recognize his own name. The expression his features took on however, looked as if he was going into deep reflection, like the name was a distant memory.

“You (Y/N)…me…B…Benn?”

You nodded as you held out a hand to him.

“Yes, nice to meet you Ben.”

He stared at your outstretched hand, unsure of what you were offering him. Seeing as your palm was empty you obviously weren’t expecting him to take anything. After another moment of awkward silence you finally dropped your hand, sheepishly scratching the back of your neck as your cheeks flushed red.

“Mmhhhm, yes nice to meet you.”

Walking closer to you again he suddenly put out one of his hands like you had just done previously, watching you eagerly. Smiling you reached out and shook it. He watched the motion, memorizing the gesture. Just as a smile started spreading across your face you suddenly heard leaves rustling again, from where Ben had just emerged. Both of you snapped your eyes in that direction to see what would be revealed. Were there more people like him out here? How had you possibly not noticed them before? You and your father had traveled more than just 10 miles around the perimeter of your camp, you had gone vast distances in search of different creatures. Surely you would have remembered this stark naked handsome man suddenly appearing amongst the wildlife.

Turning himself to block you Ben moved himself in front of you, your line of sight being partially blocked by the expanse of his toned back. Admiring the line down the middle of his back you were suddenly startled out of your observance by the low sound of growling approaching. In a protective motion Ben moved his arm to block you, to keep you behind him as he walked back towards the tree you had been pressed against not long ago. Trying to peer just over his arm you saw a jaguar crouched close to the jungle ground, snarling at Ben. Crouching a little further Ben made some aggressive growling sounds of his own as his eyes narrowed at the muscular feline. Just as the jaguar started to stalk towards you, you could feel your heartbeat rise. Though you were growing accustomed to witnessing the circle of life out here, you weren’t prepared to watch this man get mauled by a jaguar. The thought alone made your skin crawl and almost set off your own protective instinct. With your back almost against the tree again you felt Ben push you to his side, wrapping his arm around your waist slowly as he kept his narrowed eyes focused on the predator. The jaguar flashed it’s sharp fangs at you both as it lowered its sharp shoulders closer to the ground. From what you knew about wild cats it was getting ready to pounce.

With the way Ben was holding you to his side you were growing anxious, as you had absolutely no idea what he was planning on doing. Suddenly the felines wide paws left the ground as it made its leap towards the two of you. Just as your eyes grew wide at the sight, you felt Bens grip around you tighten with your feet suddenly leaving the ground and the jaguar suddenly blurring from your view in one swift motion.

Releasing a shrill scream you looked in front of you to see you were now soaring over the lush treeline you had been admiring earlier. Shutting your eyes tightly, you clutched your arms around Bens middle as though your life depended on it. Though it was thrilling in a terrifying sort of way to be flying through the sky like this, you were not nearly prepared or confident in your feet leaving the ground like this. The abrupt take off was pumping adrenaline through you as you felt the wind whisp through your hair. Feeling the brush of thick leaves against your arms you could hear a sudden grunt come from Ben with the creaking sound of a branch.

As you felt yourself still shaking against his side you finally decided to slowly open your eyes, feeling the mossy wood surface under your feet. So long as you weren’t being mauled by a feline you would feel fortunate. As your eyes opened you found yourself surrounded by a ceiling of thick green tree tops, the rest of your surroundings thick and crooked tree trunks that were almost a shade of black with how deep of brown they were. Gently releasing your grip from Ben you looked up to him, his eyes watching you carefully, with concern and that same curiosity from earlier. Blushing slightly you smiled at him.

“Th-thank you…for saving me.”

He held out his hand for you again, obviously remembering the gesture from earlier. Grinning you placed your hand in his again, shaking it.

“A pleasure.”

As he released your hand from his grip you suddenly felt him grasp your side again, as he hoisted you up with one arm. Grabbing onto another thick vine from the treeline, he steadied his feet on the branch as he looked down to you with a nod. You were unsure of what was going to happen next but you simply nodded back. Pulling you further into his side, you felt his legs strain as they jolted forward off of the sturdy branch. Placing your head close to his, you kept your arms tightly locked around his neck as he swung you both down to a tree that was at a lower height. As he jumped from tree to tree with you in his grip you couldn’t help but admire him as he safely held you on your way back down to the jungle floor. He was so earnestly protective of you, even though he had only met you moments ago. He obviously didn’t say much, but something about him made you almost as curious as he was about you. How could a man like him be in the middle of a jungle like this unable to speak any proper human language? He looked at you as though he had never seen another human before.

Finally as his feet carefully came to the soil of the jungle floor he released a sigh. Gently uncoiling his arm from around your waist he set you down. Looking up you realized he had arrived to the trail you often took back to your campsite. He watched you intently, his eyes still scanning you. Smiling you pointed down the trail.

“This is my home…so thank you.”

He remained staring, not making any sounds but simply watching you. Walking forward you started to make your way down the trail only to hear rustling behind you. Turning around you saw Ben, his knuckles ground into the soil, his feet arched against the ground. He was walking much like a gorilla would. Shaking your head you turned to him fully.

“No, no. MY home. Not YOUR home.”

Turning back around you started walking down the trail again only to hear the same rustling behind you. Sighing frustrated you turned around again. Behind you, Ben was still following closely, his eyes glittering with curiosity and admiration, much like a puppy following its new owner. Sighing you turned to him.

“Ok jungle man…what do you want?”

He simply stared at you, still walking in his primate fashion. Sitting up slightly he held himself up with one fist planted in the ground. Grunting he pointed to you with the free hand.

“You (Y/N).”

“Yes I am, and you’re Ben.”

He smiled as he nodded to you, as if you understood exactly what he was thinking. Rolling your eyes you chuckled at him. Peering down the trail you tried to listen for your father, much to your luck there wasn’t a peep coming from that direction. He had likely wandered off to go find those hippos he was talking about. Turning back to Ben you shook your head as you placed a hand on your hip. He had saved you, obviously seemed fascinated to see another human being, maybe you could at least give him some bread. You would definitely have to shoo him away once your father returned. There was no good way to explain why you had a naked grown mystery man following you around like a sad puppy.

“This is going to be a long afternoon…come on jungle man. This way to food.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting the mystery man during her small escape in the jungle, (Y/N) decides to quickly offer her hospitality to Ben.As her father returns to camp however, (Y/N) has to send Ben away, possibly never having the chance to see him again.

Walking to the opening of the small trail, you peered from side to side once again. Though your father was making no obvious signs of his presence, you couldn’t afford to assume. Looking from one empty tent to the next, with no signs of his presence, rather his recent departure with a smothered cigarette, you sighed with relief. Turning around you gestured to Ben.

“Come on, this way.”

Moving forward with his fists moving across the soil, Ben followed close behind you as his eyes darted from left to right. Though the camp wasn’t much compared to some of the explorers out there, the set up you had greatly impressed Ben. There were so many things he had never seen before, things he couldn’t begin to identify or understand. The colors were some not found in nature, the shapes odd and fascinating. Finding himself distracted he ended up moving over towards the table of lab equipment your father had set-up on the side. Slowly he squatted, balancing his weight on the back of his feet as he observed the array of different tools. There were beakers of all heights, shapes and markings neatly lined up behind the open space on the wood table top where a few stray pens laid out. Ben curiously placed his finger on one as he rolled it back and forth across the wood.

Not even realizing what he was doing, you rummaged through the one stash of food supply you managed to keep at the camp. Despite it being almost all carbs and random items that were known to have a long shelf life, you were perfectly content with it, considering the produce you could always find not too far away to accompany the foods. Pushing past some of the breads you attempted to find a good chunk of bread for Ben.

“I’m not sure that you’ve ever tasted something like it, but hopefully you’ll like it. I rather enjoy it with my meals.”

Finally seeing a good ‘butt’ piece you smiled with satisfaction.

“Ah ha!”

Gripping it in your palm you turned to face Ben once again, only to find nothing behind you. Arching your brow you scanned the perimeter of the camp, wondering if he had decided to run off. Finally your eyes landed upon him, swishing around some blue liquid your father had mixed up in vial. Seeing him go to open it you rushed over in a frenzy.

“No, no, no, no!! Put that down!!”

Halting in his motion Ben looked up to you with a perplexed expression, unsure of what you were so worried about. Sighing you shook your head at him, assuring you were clearly pronouncing your words.

“Not food. This is food.”

Bringing your palm forward you put the piece of bread before him, hoping he would understand what you meant. Observing the bread he instantly put the vial down as he moved closer to you, hopping slightly on the balls of his feet before he found his balance again in front of you. Reaching up hesitantly he looked to you, his eyes seeming to be wanting approval. With a smile you nodded, nudging your hand close to him once again. Quickly he took the piece of bread from your hand, observing it for a moment in his large palms. From the way his fingers glided over it, you assumed he was likely feeling the texture of it, trying to evaluate if it was familiar or not. Judging from his behavior and appearance, you guessed he would only recognize foods found in the jungle itself. Bread obviously not being one of them. After a few more moments of assessing it, gaging your expression once again he slowly took a bite from the edge. As the contents moved around his mouth you watched his expression shift. His brows raised as he looked back down at the bread in his palm.

“Good?”

He looked to you, furrowing his brows. You had almost forgotten he likely wouldn’t know every word you were using with him. With his silence remaining you simply smiled at him, nodding as you made a content humming sound. Suddenly at that sound he nodded in response, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he continued chewing. The way he chewed was definitely not conservative as he sunk his uneven teeth into the slice of bread and ripped it. The sight alone made you chuckle faintly. Had anyone eaten like this at your dinner table back home, there would have been a lot more than strange looks coming his way. Looking at you once again, Ben arched a brow, attempting to understand what you were giggling about.

As he finally finished, swallowing the last bits, he instantly set back on his venture around your camp. With almost no hesitation he went back to the table of lab equipment your father had set out, still purely fascinated by all the colors and shapes of things. Steadying himself on his knuckles once again as he observed the table top you joined him at his side.

“This is a testing table.”

Ben looked between you and the table, his eyes narrowing as he observed all of the objects once again.

“Ble?”

You chuckled with a shrug, “Close enough.”

He nodded, taking one last look at all of the objects before him. Moving to the right he made his way over to the array of maps your father had laid out. Though you seldom looked at them, at least not as obsessively as your father, you generally knew them about as well as you knew your favorite story. It may have been looking at it for the first time in some instances, but you could easily find your way around with a few moments. Ben carefully brought his hands to the aged paper, resting his weight on his feet once again. As his eyes scanned the entirety of the page you waited to see what he would do. At least praying that he wouldn’t rip one of them or decide they were now his. The way his eyes were observing every line and note on the page, you were sure he might. Watching his hand glide up the paper as he tilted his head to the side, you cleared your throat.

“The Congo.”

Ben looked at you with an arched brow, you pointed to the map with a smile.

“Congo, your home.”

He looked back to the page, gently gliding his palms over it once again.

“H-ome?”

You nodded eagerly with a grin, aside from your name he had finally pronounced a word you could understand.

“Yes! Home.”

Ben nodded as he gazed at it for a moment longer, obviously fascinated by the idea that this expansive place he called home was documented almost entirely on whatever this material underneath his fingertips. The way he seemed to hesitate when repeating the word home however made you wonder if he was even aware that he was looking at his own home or if he thought this was yours. Hearing a sudden ding off to the left, you both jumped in faint startlement. Your hand landed over your heart as Ben instantly turned his attention towards the sound, placing his knuckles back to the soil once again as he made his way over to it. You sighed with relief when you realized it was only your fathers kitchen timer which he had insisted he bring along with you, despite its seemingly purposeless presence in the jungle. Finally arriving at the shelf where it was placed Ben tilted his head as he observed it. From the way his brows knitted together you were sure he wasn’t positive that a sound that loud had arisen from such a small object. Walking up to the shelf with him, you gently took the timer into your hands, bringing it closer to Ben so he could easily observe it.

“This is a timer, I think my father meant to use it as an alarm.”

Ben gently took it from your hands, rotating it in his palm as his fingers gently grazed over the markings on it. Feeling the urge, Ben turned the small knob on the front, waiting to see what would happen. Suddenly he jumped faintly as the timer rang once again, vibrating in his palm. Unsure of what was happening Ben instantly dropped it on the ground, opting to just stare at it instead. Giggling you knelt down and picked it up from the ground, dusting the soil off of it.

“Don’t worry it won’t hurt you. It just measures time.”

Ben watched you intently as you set the timer back in its rightful place on the shelf. Everything you did seemed to fascinate him entirely, much like a newborn taking in the world around them for the first time. The things you once found grossily mundane were somehow more interesting to speak about with Ben. His genuine curiosity and apparent lack of knowledge was both endearing and fascinating to you. Realizing his ever wandering eye, you decided to indulge his curiosity and bring some things to his attention.

Gesturing to him, you lead him towards your own tent.

“Come on, this way.”

He nodded, following behind you in his same stance with his knuckles dug into the soil. Quietly he moved behind you, eyes still scanning the entirety of the camp. Seeing the opening to your tent, you gently moved the fabric aside for Ben to enter. Politely holding your arm out for him, you gestured for him to enter. Though he hesitated, he seemed to understand and moved forward into the tent, eyes still wandering with wild curiosity. Shuffling through your bedside drawer, you tried to find something Ben would find interesting. Considering how new just about everything you possessed likely was to him, you could really choose anything. Yet his lack of familiarity almost made it more pressing to decide, a man that lived in the jungle for all these years surely wouldn’t find your measely pen entertaining or monumental. There had to be something you had that would be fun to show Ben.

Turning your torso back in his direction you suddenly noticed he had moved. Rather than standing behind you, he was seated on your bed, his large frame hunched over. In his hands he held your sketch pad, intently observing the page as his one hand held the page up. Shifting yourself over to the bed, you sat carefully there watching him observe your sketches. The sketches themselves weren’t all complete, considering most of your sketches were of animals in the area. You could always start them, maybe get some detail in the shadowing and lines you drew, but you struggled to ever finish them. Seeing as it was wildlife that you were trying to document, it more than often was on the move. Just when you would start to get it down, whatever you were documenting would either be scared off or abruptly make its leave as you sighed in frustration. The way Ben’s eyes observed your sketches, you could tell he was at least interested in what he was looking at. Scratching the back of your neck, you cleared your throat.

“Those umm, those aren’t really finished.”

Ben looked at you then to the sketch pad. Turning the page towards you, Ben pointed to a sketch you had done of a toucan, not yet colored in or completed in the torso. Pursing his lips together he made a sound you realized was familiar. Arching a brow in confusion, you were about to speak when he suddenly made the sound again, pointing to the sketch. Raising your brows, your mouth fell open slightly as it stretched into a smile. He recognized the animal your sketch was depicting. You nodded eagerly as you pointed to it as well.

“Toucan, yes! That’s a Toucan.”

Smiling back at you, Ben flipped to the next page, an even less completed sketch of an okari. Though it wasn’t a skiddish animal, it was almost impossible to come across like the others and just as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared. Ben made another sound, one that you didn’t recognize, but that you could assume belonged to the animal.

“Okari?”

Ben made the sound again, pointing to the sketch. You nodded with a smile.

“Yes okari.”

As he went to make a wide swinging gesture with his arms, his hand collided with some objects you had sitting on the shelves, causing a soft crashing sound as they all fell to the floor. Ben’s eyes followed the motion of the little bottles and cannisters, falling silent. Waving dismissively with your hand you lifted yourself off of the bed and walked over to his side.

“Don’t mind that, those are just my toilitries.”

Crouching down to pick them all up once again, you slowly started collecting the various bottles in your arms. Gasping you were suddenly met with the visual of Ben’s arm reaching down and snatching one of the bottles off of the ground. Much like he had observed the other objects, he spun the bottle around, observing the outside of it intently. Looking up at him making his new discovery you pointed to the bottle with a smirk.

“Shampoo.”

Ben looked at you for a moment, confused by the word. Carefully he popped open the lid, sniffing the contents. His brows raised as he looked down into the bottle at the inside, observing the creamy looking white substance. Sniffing the bottle again, he held it up above him, as if the bottom of the bottle would be different. Taking note of his hair, you were more than positive he had never had an encounter with anything like shampoo in recent time, let alone recent years. Slowly he brought the bottle back down, holding it out for you to take once again. Holding your hand up, you blocked his gesture, pushing it back towards him.

“No, no. You keep it.”

He tried handing it to you once again, obviously not understanding what you had just said. Again you pushed it towards him, making more of an effort to push it back towards his chest.

“Keep it.”

Seeming to understand now, Ben nodded. Unable to help himself, he popped open the lid once again as he inhaled deeply, taking in as much of the scent as he possibly could. The amount of content you could feel eminating from his grin, you could only imagine it had been a while since he had smelt anything so fresh in the jungle. Then an idea hit you. Collecting the bottles in your arms, you nudged your head to the side.

“Come on Ben. I want to show you something.”

He hesitated, until you gestured with your free hand towards the entrance of your tent.

“Come on.”

As you stood to your feet, Ben climbed down from your bed, following behind you once again. Seeing just how fascinated Ben was with the scent of your shampoo, you decided to provide him something you were sure he would appreciate and enjoy. Walking out behind your camp a couple of yards, you came to a small waterfall, flowing into a small pool of clear and clean water. Though to some this would be any other waterfall or pretty nook in the jungle, this is what you considered your shower. Nearby the side of the pool, you kept a small bowl to collect the water for all your needs. Considering just how mangey Ben appeared, you were sure he was in definite need of some products. Shampoo being the first he needed on the list. Nudging your head to the pool you gave Ben a warm smile.

“Come on.”

With a curious arch of his brow Ben looked between you and the pool. Surely you weren’t thinking he wasn’t aware of what this was. Walking over to the pool, you set down your collection of shampoos and soaps on the side as you patted a rock on the side.

“Come on.”

Trusting your judgement, Ben made his way forward observing the pool of water surrounded by dark rocks. It wasn’t more than three feet deep, making it the perfect place for you to collect clean water without risking running into an animal you were not expecting. Gesturing your hand forward, you nudged your head towards the pool once again. Ben’s eyes followed your motions, taking note of the fact that you kept referring to the pool. Opting to simply nod back, Ben quietly made his way over towards you, climbing over the rock you were sitting behind as he carefully slid his way into the pool. Releasing a sigh, he seated himself as comfortably as he could in the pool, resting his forearms over his knees. The way his large body still managed to not fit entirely into the water made you chuckle slightly, the sight of his hunched figure appearing comical.

Taking the bowl into your hands, you dipped it into the water, collecting just the right amount up to the brim. Rather than bringing it back towards you, you instead dumped it over Ben’s head causing him to flinch. His mop of hair instantly fell flat against his head as the water cascaded down his chin and neck. Making some sort of grunt like sound, Ben tried to express his discontent with this already.

“Be patient.”

Picking up the bottle of shampoo Ben had been so fascinated with earlier, you carefully took into your hand, squeezing out a good amount of it into the other. Satisfied with the look of it resting on your palm, you rubbed your hands together, instantly bringing your shampoo lathered hands into Ben’s hair. Though he flinched for a moment as your fingers practically dug into his scalp, you attempted to assure him it was fine.

“It’s okay, I’m just washing your hair. Trust me you’ll love it.”

He didn’t respond verbally, but physically his shoulders visibly relaxed as you continued massaging the shampoo into his scalp. The only sound aside from the water falling down the rocks were the birds in the area chirping and singing peacefully, making the atmosphere even more relaxing. The more you dug into Ben’s scalp, the more he leaned into your touch, tilting his head back slightly without you asking. A grin spread across your face as his eyes shut and he tilted his head back for you to get a better reach of his hair. The hum of content that escaped his throat only brought you more satisfaction, confirming you had made a great decision of helping him with his hair.

Collecting more water once again, you dumped the water over Ben’s head once again. Receiving less of a flinch from him this time around, you decided to douse his locks with even more water, assuring he was washed free of all the shampoo. Running your fingers carefully through his hair, you untangled as many of the strands as you could. Though he likely wouldn’t care that his hair was no longer tangled, you hoped he would at least appreciate the fresh new smell and texture of his hair.

Moving back to your pile of bottles, you picked up another that you had sloppily labeled with the fragrance ‘lavender’. Holding it up for Ben to see, you pointed to it.

“This is bath wash, ok?”

Popping open the bottle you held it up to his nose for him to smell once again. Leaning forward slightly, Ben inhaled the fragrance of the bottle. Seeing his eyes shut as a small grin grew across his face you giggled. As he opened his eyes again you pointed to the bottle.

“Good?”

He nodded. Taking his approval of its scent as your ok, you squirted some of the purple liquid into your palm. Looking back to Ben you paused, realizing you would have to rub some of it onto him in order for it to work. Suddenly feeling the heat rise under your cheeks and through neck, your eyes searched him. Settling your eyes on his shoulder, you sighed with a little relief. Leaning forward, you cautiously brought your lavender clad hand to his shoulder, quickly rubbing the liquid into his skin. Assuring most of it was off of your hand, you pulled away not sure you should continue. Turning to face you, Ben looked at you confused. Taking one of your arms you started making the motions as if you were washing your own self.

“Like this.”

He watched you intently, observing how your hand moved. Realizing there was liquid still residing on his shoulder he slowly started to rub it further down his upper arm, hesitant at first. As the bubbles started appearing on his skin however, his attitude shifted entirely. The sight of the little foaming bubbles popping up one after the other distracted him entirely. Within an instant he began scrubbing the bubbles further and further across his skin with a grin of satisfaction at the sight and smell of this strange liquid you had brought him. As he ran out, you collected more water once again in the bowl, dumping it over his shoulders. Cascading down his body, the water washed away the suds he was so joyful over, leaving behind only the fresh scent of lavender. Seeing him lift his arm beneath his nose as he took a deep breath in earned a giggle from you again. Releasing a sigh, he turned to look at you, a smile still across his face as he rested his arms over the rock he had been resting against.

The communication barrier between you made it difficult for him to express his gratitude, one that he truly felt within after your act of hospitality. He could try to muster up a collection of sounds that appeared similar to the words you used, but he was sure it would not suffice for what he wanted to express. Instead he gave you a short nod, slowly bowing his now freshly cleaned head to you. Smiling back at him, you returned the gesture, dipping your head forward. As your head rose again, you were met with Ben’s gaze. His warm brown eyes were solely focused on your (Y/E/C) ones, just barely glittering under the visible sunlight. Sighing contently, you felt yourself growing comfortable again.

“(Y/N)?!!”

That voice sent you into solid shock. Your father was back, and early. Turning towards the camp, you peered down the trail with wide frantic eyes.

“(Y/N)?!!”

Turning back to Ben, showing him your concern you shook your head.

“You have to go.”

Though your eyes were concerned, your tone came off rather demanding. It wasn’t entirely your fault, you already knew there was no way your father would respond soundly to this sight if he did find you before you wanted him to.

“Actually, it’s ok, you stay, I’ll go.”

His smile instantly faded as he tried understanding why you were so concerned and flustered all of a sudden. The way you were acting was surely not the reaction he was receiving from you moments ago. Due to the barrier in communication, he also couldn’t understand what had changed. Standing up from the ground, looking down at Ben in the pool, you shook your head.

“I have to go, I’m sorry.”

“(Y/N)?!!”

Feeling guilt wash over you as you stepped away from the pool, being followed by Ben’s solemn expression you shook your head again.

“I’m sorry I-”

“(Y/N)?!!”

Turning towards the camp you yelled out down the trail.

“Just a minute dad!!”

Sighing you turned back to the pool, Ben still watching you like a puppy. The expression he held on his face looked as though you had just kicked an innocent puppy, kicked Ben, without any reason. Giving him a little wave of your hand as a last gesture, you turned back down the trail, rushing to the camp. Making your way up to the camp you almost collided with your father who gasped slightly as you appeared. Seeing you in front of him he sighed with relief, placing a hand gently on your upper arm.

“Oh (Y/N) thank God. I was worried you had not returned to camp still.”

You shrugged, offering a half-hearted smile.

“Well I’m here.”

“Good, good. Oh did you find anything to sketch dear? I know you’ve been meaning to return to that.”

Sighing you looked back down the trail to where the pool was, seeing it now empty. It’s not like Ben was your friend, or had some deep connection with you, but his notable absence made your heart sink just slightly. For once, something exciting and somewhat magical had happened to you on this adventure through the Congo, only to have it seemingly come to an end just as suddenly as it started. You shook your head, sighing again.

“No. No I didn’t see anything out there.”

Your father patted your shoulder, guiding you back into the camp.

“Maybe another day dear. We have plenty of time.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having (Y/N)’s father returning to the camp, (Y/N) sends Ben off. Misunderstanding what she meant in her gestures, Ben assumes he is no longer allowed to return to her camp. Solemn and in a funk, Ben’s attitude notably changes. (Y/N) also goes into a funk, wishing Ben would return as he was the most interesting thing she had encountered in the jungle thus far.

Walking out of your tent, you extended your arms into a good wide stretch as you released a faint yawn. Looking before you, you saw the same view of the camp site, hardly moved in the slightest. Even after being at this exact sight for months on end, it seemed as though your place here was frozen in time. You followed almost the exact same routine, went to the exact same locations, even your father hardly strayed from his usual routine. It was comfortable, but your blaringly loud thoughts of adventure almost constantly reminded you of what you truly wanted. This was the Congo, not the city scape of Africa, but the untouched and thriving jungle and yet you hadn’t experienced much of what you knew was out there. Though you had seen many beautiful sights and stunning animals, you had really only scratched the surface. There was so much more to be discovered. So much more awaiting you just a few yards away.

The one thing that you had experienced, still unable to shake it from your mind, was meeting Ben. An afternoon you were sure was going to be like all of the rest with you sitting quietly and enjoying a good book put you into a whole new journey. Despite it only being a short amount of time, it was whirlwind and in your time here thus far, you had never felt so alive. The way your heart beat so quickly, the moment your feet left the ground and flew through the air, the elated joy you felt showing Ben around. Despite all that excitement in a short span of time, Ben had seemingly disappeared.

Now four weeks later you still had yet to run into him, despite retracing your steps, he was nowhere to be found. There was no trace of him, of his past presence, or any trace of where he could’ve gone. Given how little he spoke and how quickly time had flown, you had nothing as reference to track him down, aside from your memory of him.

Looking to your father, who was intently observing the map before him with thick wire rimmed glasses, you sighed. You wanted to express your desire to explore the jungle, but you were sure he would only deny you, afraid of what you would cross paths with. If you admitted you were hoping to find the mystery jungle man known as Ben to him, he would only further restrict your time out in the wild, by yourself.

“Dad?”

His head instantly turned towards you, the thick glasses making his eyes almost comical.

“Yes darling?”

You smiled, holding up your sketch pad.

“I uh, just wanted to let you know I’m going to go sketch.”

He nodded, a soft smile gracing his face.

“Of course, just don’t stray too far from the campsite.”

You nodded back as he returned his attention to the map before him.

“I won’t.”

He waved quickly as he continued tracing his pencil across the parchment of the map.

“Wonderful, have a good time.”

You nodded again, holding your sketch pad close to you as you made your way out of the camp.

* * *

 

Pushing aside some brush, you gazed before you. The same spot where you had resided to unwind and read your books was clear and as beautiful as it had been before. The waterfall and greenery surrounding it were just as majestic as before, the untampered beauty of nature surrounding you entirely. Sighing, you couldn’t help but have your shoulders slump. Day after day, you continued to return to this spot, hoping that by some chance, Ben would be there, seeking you out as you were seeking him. You still held out hope that he would eventually find his way back into your life here, that before you returned home you would get to see that elusive jungle man once again. Yet again, he was nowhere to be seen.

Trying not to focus on the disappointment of his absence, you made your way over to the same tree and nestled yourself comfortably between the roots. Gazing up once you were settled, you took in the same breathtaking view with birds soaring over the tree tops. Smiling to yourself, you sighed with content. Flipping open your sketch pad, you returned to your sketch of the waterfall, trying to capture the sight of the graceful birds soaring above.

* * *

 

From a distance, behind a considerable amount of plant life high up in one of the many surrounding trees, Ben watched you down below. You were focused on your sketch pad with your lips pressed firmly together and your brows faintly furrowed, nestled into the same spot he had first found you. Just like before, you were a vision that fascinated him even in your most mundane moments. The way your hair looked under the golden hues of the afternoon, the way your (Y/E/C) eyes glittered with wonder as you took in the sights around you, the little pout your lips made before you pulled them into a tight line in concentration. Aside from your appearance, there was something else about you that he couldn’t help but be drawn to. Something more he knew he wanted to discover. His brown eyes were solemn and drooping along with his expression, his full lips turning into a subtle frown. Perched up in the tree, he sat with his shoulders slouched, his posture almost matching his expression.

As much as he wanted to speak with you again, to have you introduce him to even more fascinating and new things he couldn’t forget the way he had last left you. From the way you regarded him, the look in your eyes pleading and your words short and underlyingly commanding, he was sure you were no longer interested in his presence. The run you had made back to your campsite despite him still being present and so obviously begging you silently not to go, not understanding why you had to leave, was enough to deter his efforts. Sighing, he watched you pitifully like some sort of lovesick puppy as you gazed out towards the waterfall.

Something about the awe that overtook your face as you looked ahead, wishing to memorize every beautiful detail before you. Just behind him he suddenly heard the leaves rustle as another shift of weight joined him. Peering just over his shoulder he saw one of the smaller gorillas, a toddler compared to the rest. He turned forward again, ignoring him. Slowly the smaller gorilla scooted himself closer to Ben, cooing as he patted Bens arm, attempting to grab his attention. In their own series of grunts and primate sounds, they spoke.

“What’s wrong Ben?”

Ben shrugged the smaller gorilla off of him, keeping his gaze on you.

“Nothing.”

The smaller gorilla followed his gaze, looking down to see you intently sketching away on the paper before you. The gorilla’s brows raised as his faintly pursed lips fell open.

“What’s that?”

Ben sighed, still staring at you with an unexplained ache in his heart, but a swelling joy as he watched you smile proudly at your sketch.

“Nothing.”

The litte gorilla looked between you and Ben, taking a moment to analyze Bens face. For weeks the pack had noticed his attitude changing, his once enthusiastic spring in his step and stiff shoulders was now a slouched posture with his feet now dragging as if with a heavy weight around each of his ankles. The smile that used to grace his face regularly when he would play with the younger gorillas was now replaced with a frown as he half heartedly tried to put on a front for them. At night when he was supposed to be sleeping, he was constantly caught sniffing the little vials of shampoo you had given him, treating it as if it were a keepsake of your memory. More often than not, the pack was forced to go looking for him, finding him sauntering back to their home with heavy shoulders and that same now more frequent frown.

The little gorilla “oo’d” before tapping Ben once again.

“It looks like you!”

Ben’s brow arched, suddenly caught off guard by the comment. Looking down at you now, suddenly he was sure he had found why he was so fascinated, drawn towards you.

“Its fur is like yours, it has those same hands.”

The more Ben considered it, the more things suddenly became apparent to him. You did in fact share similar “fur” atop your heads, your body much like his was not covered in hair as his family’s was, you had similar hands, feet, even limbs. Something about you was far more familiar to him than his own family, something he couldn’t entirely pinpoint.

“Maybe it’ll play with me.”

Ben’s brows shot up as he turned to little gorilla, holding his forearm before him as he shook his head.

“No, you’re not going to bother her.”

Observing you again, the little gorilla tilted his head the slightest.

“It’s a female?”

Ben nodded, still holding his forearm in front of the little one before a mischevious little smirk grew across his innocent face.

“Well I’m going to go say hi to her.”

Ben instantly turned himself towards the little primate only to see him instantly slip away from Ben’s grip, swinging onto one of the nearby branches.

“No, no!”

The little gorilla giggled in his own fashion, swinging down towards the ground as Ben quickly tried to catch up with him.

* * *

 

Staring out at the view before you, your head was faintly tilted with a smile gracing your lips in appeasement. No matter how many times you looked at, no matter how detailed your sketch was, you couldn’t help but be awestruck. Suddenly from behind you, you heard what appeared to sound like cooing and leaves rustling. You weren’t sure you recognized the sound, having never heard anything quite like it before. Something about it held a quality you were sure you could distinguish and yet you weren’t entirely confident.

Furrowing your brows you turned yourself from the view, to the space behind you. Off to the left of the area you had behind you, you finally saw the source of the sound. Your eyes went wide as your jaw fell loose at the adorable sight before you. A rather small, doe eyed and somewhat playful looking gorilla sauntered closer to you, stopping abruptly as he saw you look at him. Putting your sketch pad down onto the ground, you turned your full attention to the adorable creature, assuring your movements were slow.

“Hey little guy.”

The gorilla looked at you with another soft coo, seeming more open to you speaking to it. Carefully bringing your sketch pad before you again you kept your eyes on it, still completely shocked that a gorilla was anywhere near you. Considering your father had dedicated a good portion of his expedition to finding them here, given that this part of the Congo was known for them, you couldn’t help but be excited. You had spent years hearing about your fathers fascination with the creatures, growing fond of them yourself the more you heard. To be faced with one now, was more than you could have hoped for.

“Just sit tight while I-”

Suddenly, your heart stopped as a heavy thud caught your attention behind the small gorilla. Your curious expression slowly shifted to one of growing excitement. It was undeniably Ben. That same head of dark brown hair rustling as he shook it out before the same intense brown eyes met yours. The second his eyes met yours he seemed to freeze, unsure of what to do now that you could see him. You gulped, sheepishly avoiding his gaze as a warm sensation graced your cheeks.

“H-hi.”

He stared at you blankly, his lips parting without a sound escaping him. Though you couldn’t read his expression clearly, you were sure he was just as happy but hesitant to see you. With your eyes locked onto his, you had hardly noticed the smaller gorilla crawl up to you, sitting just before your lap. Jumping faintly as you heard him attempt to speak with you, your brows raised as you looked down. With the same endearing doe eyes, the small gorilla sat before you, perched in the same position Ben had been in when you had shown him around your campsite. The way Ben was looking between you and the small being seemed as though he knew it. The concern and hesitation in his eyes seemed to be regarding more than just you before him. Suddenly two and two came together and Ben’s behavior made all the more sense to you. The way he looked at this small gorilla, the way he walked, the way he communicated, the way he seemed so baffled by even the most simple things at your campsite. With your lips parting, you faintly stuttered.

“Y-you…you’re one of them?”

Though Ben didn’t answer, he remained staring at you, his adams apple briefly bobbing in his neck. You weren’t sure if he understood you, but something in his eyes seemed as though he did. At the very least, he understood that you were trying to understand how he was affiliated with this small being. Swallowing you sat comfortably on the ground, much like you had been between the roots of the tree before you brought your sketch pad into your lap. Flipping to the drawing of a toucan, you gently turned it towards the small gorilla. Its head tilted as you pointed to the drawing. With its small hand, the gorilla reached for the paper, gently running its rough fingers over the sketch as its doe eyes stretched in awe. You smiled. Flipping to a blank page, you pointed to it, then to the small gorilla.

“May I?”

The gorilla seemed hesitant, obviously not understanding you. Repeating the same motions again, hoping to get some sort of response from it.

“Sketch?”

Finally the small primate slapped his hands against the pad, making excited coos and grunts as it flopped onto the ground before you, after spinning in a few circles giddily. Rocking back and forth on the ground beneath it, the small gorilla attempted to pose for you. Giggling you nodded as you brought the pad back into your lap.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Bringing your pencil to the pad you smiled at the gorilla as it seemed to grin at you. Seeing you smile at the small gorilla, Ben himself found a smile growing across his lips as he watched you. Your focus between the small primate and your sketch pad drew him in just as your focus on your book had before. There was something about the look in your eyes and the smile on your face that drew him closer. Unable to stay distant from you any longer, Ben decided to carefully make his way towards you both. Slowly he crouched down to the ground, making himself leveled with you and where you were seated as he turned himself towards the small gorilla as well.

Turning to your side for a moment, your heart swelled to see Ben seating himself next to you with a smile across his face. Returning the gesture, you turned to your sketch pad once again, gliding your pencil across the page as you continued to draw the adorable gorilla. Despite his eager nature, continually rocking back and forth, you were able to begin a sketch of him, one you would have to show your father. Ben watched you admirably as your hand gracefully moved over the pad, slowly creating the image.


End file.
